


Daily Rituals

by DianaMoon



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Canon, Character Study, Gift Fic, M/M, Post-War, Routine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-07
Updated: 2010-12-07
Packaged: 2017-11-01 22:21:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/361921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DianaMoon/pseuds/DianaMoon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five things Severus does after waking up before starting his working day, before and after Remus Lupin comes into his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Daily Rituals

**Author's Note:**

> Written for dungeons_master! Not the typical 5+1 fic. Strays from canon sometime in DH.

Every day, before, between, and after the wars, Severus would wake up with the same thoughts: _I’m alive still? Bloody hell, not another day of this shite._ The shite in question usually having to do with either dark lords, students, or dunderheads in general. Everything else he did before the day could begin, had a pattern, never wavering for the longest.

It was a hard habit to break, even after he was assured that the dark lord was truly and finally dead, but he would check his arm as soon as he sat up. In the early years it used to be angry and red, during the brunt of it, a seering black memory, and after, a pale mess of scars. Some reason, seeing it would calm him, remind him of who he was and what he had done. It was a bleak outlook on life but he was used to it.

Coffee. He swears he can do nothing without having coffee for he knows something will come up before making it to breakfast. He had given up on tea in the mornings long ago. No one should ever dare cross his path if he ever failed to have some liquid fortitude before leaving his quarters. That is, if he could make it out in the proper state.

Despite all rumors to the contrary, rarely did Severus start his day with out a shower, or if time permitted, a bath. But time rarely ever permitted. His hair was a genetic defect, he believed, from his father, and after years of potion fumes, he could never get his teeth truly white. Even if it had been a normal school day, he only felt cleansed of his past after the water rinsed everything else away.

A tried and true pattern. He had held on to it until he finally let Remus Lupin into his life. When that happened, everything changed. No longer did he wake up to the same mantra, it was now: _Dear lord, this wasn’t all a dream?_ His habit of arm gazing took a while to change but it did, along with a few other habits he used to do in the morning.

Oh, he still bathed of course, though rarely ever alone, and the coffee was probably an addiction he could never be free of. Remus conceded on that since he would never give up on his love of chocolate.

What truly changed was Severus wouldn't wake up to an empty bed anymore. Beside him was his mate--a glorious sight to behold, even if he would never admit it aloud. No longer he needed to remind himself of his past crimes. Now, all he had to do was look into Remus’ eyes and know, he did the best he could, and he was still loved. He would smirk at the other man and then made sure one of them was properly shagged before they got out of bed. He claimed he wouldn’t be able to survive the day unless they did so every morning. This ritual? Remus never once complained.


End file.
